The IRIS Network of Excellence: Future Directions in Interactive Storytelling

International audienceThe IRIS Network of Excellence started its work in January 2009. In this paper we highlight some new research directions developing within the network: one is revisiting narrative formalisation through the use of Linear Logic and the other is challenging the conventional framework of basing Interactive Storytelling on computer graphics to explore the content-based recombination of video sequences

A Novel Design Pipeline for Authoring Tools

Interactive digital narrative research presents a diverse range of authoring tools. Although our field often publishes the technology, it less often publishes a refined UX design pipeline for those tools' authoring experience. This is despite the UX of these tools long being identified as a key challenge and UX design pipelines being an active area of research in adjacent technologies such as the games that sometimes deliver our stories. We present a three-stage design pipeline targeting the creation of interactive narrative authoring tools that is informed by existing design pipelines that consider the user and their experience at all stages. We then detail our own application of this pipeline to the design of a new authoring tool, reporting on the methodologies, analyses, and findings of each step

Setting in scene: Playing digital director in interactive storytelling and creation

Interactive digital storytelling promises to be a new artistic discipline. But what does the artwork look like? And how much control does the artist have over the final result? By searching for the right answers, we draw several approaches from diverse fields such as filmmaking, game design, autonomous agents, psychology, and narrative intelligence. We first give a definition of interactive storytelling that includes a scope between authorship and emergent narrative, and present two example projects with different emphases. Then, we introduce a multi-level concept for an experimental stage that can be used to explore interactive storytelling at varying degrees of flexibility versus predetermination. Instead of inventing the ultimate virtual narrator, we suggest developing layers of run-time engines that allow authors to work with directions on each single layer separately-from selecting high-level dramatic structures down to directing animated actors. The concept of underlying models at each level is explained in detail by the example of a story model implementation. Further, we show variations of level adjustments causing graded degrees of semi-autonomy. First results of this experimental stage are presented, and the primary future tasks are pointed out

Właściwości mechaniczne i środowiskowe recyklatów z tworzyw sztucznych na bazie surowców odnawialnych

Recycling of plastics has become one of the most important issues with respect to the conservation of energy and material resources. With the rise of Circular Economy, the aim of reducing the wastes and re-utilizing them have been stressed not only in the fossil-based plastics but also in the bio-based plastics. Bio-based plastics, which are derived partly or completely from the renewable resources, have their own share of challenges when they come to recycling and other end–of-life strategies. Taking into account factors like recycling rate and cost, influencing the recycling of bio-based plastics, this study analyses the material and environmental properties of using the recyclates of bio-based plastics as a secondary raw material by taking a reference product as a case study.Recykling tworzyw sztucznych stał się jedną z najważniejszych kwestii w zakresie ochrony zasobów energetycznych i materiałowych. Wraz z rozwojem gospodarki o obiegu zamkniętym, cel ograniczenia ilości odpadów i ich ponownego wykorzystania zyskał szczególnego znaczenia nie tylko w przemyśle tworzyw sztucznych opartych na paliwach kopalnych, ale również w tworzywach pochodzących z surowców odnawialnych. Tworzywa sztuczne, które pochodzą częściowo lub całkowicie z odnawialnych źródeł, stawiają specyficzne wyzwania, jeśli chodzi o recykling i inne strategie wycofywania z eksploatacji poużytkowych odpadów. Biorąc pod uwagę takie czynniki, jak współczynnik recyklingu i koszty, wpływające na recykling tworzyw sztucznych opartych na surowcach naturalnych, niniejsze praca analizuje właściwości materiałowe i środowiskowe stosowania recyklatów tworzyw sztucznych na bazie surowców odnawialnych jako surowca wtórnego, przyjmując produkt referencyjny jako studium przypadku

Authoring Issues beyond Tools

Abstract. Authoring is still considered a bottleneck in successful Interactive Storytelling and Drama. The claim for intuitive authoring tools is high, especially for tools that allow storytellers and artists to define dynamic content that can be run with an AI-based story engine. We explored two concrete authoring processes in depth, using various Interactive Storytelling prototypes, and have provided feedback from the practical steps. The result is a presentation of general issues in authoring Interactive Storytelling, rather than of particular problems with a specific system that could be overcome by ‘simply ’ designing the right interface. Priorities for future developments are also outlined

An ethical commitment for Mixed Reality Games

Mixed Reality Games change the way that people experience and share space, they thus raise new ethical challenges for designers, especially at cultural heritage sites that are particularly sensitive shared places. In this paper we re!ect on a major study of ethical practice in mixed reality games recently published in ACM Games: Research and Practice, and explore how its "ndings might be translated into guidance for developing mixed reality games within our LoGaCulture project. The result is a four part commitment: to critically engage with ethical aspects of our case studies, to draw on known ethical strategies, to actively look for ethical issues, and to create space for artistic freedom where possible. We have then set out what this initially looks like at two of our case study locations: Avebury and Madeira. Our approach shows that rather than a prescriptive set of strategies that would create a false sense of assurance it is possible to set out a re!ective and critical approach that represents a more genuine engagement with mixed reality ethical issues

Meeting the spirit of history

This paper describes a research and development project for a novel technology, making the conveyance of cultural heritage during a historic sightseeing tour a unique experience. The cornerstones of this system are mobile augmented reality, including a hybrid tracking approach, intelligent queries to pose complex questions about geographical and historical knowledge, as well as a story engine to interactively run a digital story. This system involves the user in a thrilling story while exploring the history and the attractions of the city

Evaluation of Mobile App-derived Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Referral Patterns in Patients Participating in a Cardiac Rehabilitation Program: A Pilot Initiative (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Cardiac rehabilitation is known to improve morbidity and mortality; however, it is underutilized. OBJECTIVE This pilot initiative will: 1) determine if a smartphone app is able to detect meaningful differences in cardiorespiratory fitness after participation in traditional cardiac rehabilitation, 2) observe cardiac rehabilitation referral patterns and 3) monitor patient engagement in cardiac rehabilitation. METHODS During February 2020, n = 34 patients were enrolled in outpatient phase II cardiac rehabilitation at our institution and included in the initiative. A mobile phone app, Heart Snapshot, was used to estimate VO2 max at baseline and after 4 weeks of participation in cardiac rehab. Providers were surveyed about referral patterns. The plan-do-check-act cycle was used to assess improvement. RESULTS The mean age was 67 (SD: 13) and ischemic heart disease was the main reason for referral. Improvement in app-derived VO2 max was positively correlated with improvement in METs. The survey revealed provider lack of understanding of conditions benefitting from cardiac rehabilitation and discrepancy regarding responsibility referring to cardiac rehabilitation. CONCLUSIONS Cardiac rehabilitation is an important yet underutilized intervention. There is room for improvement in provider education and ownership for cardiac rehabilitation referrals. An app-based VO2 estimate may be a solution for remotely monitoring fitness improvement. </sec